Instituto de la Danza Espaņola
The Instituto de la Danza Espaņola (Spanish Dance Institute) was founded in 1984 by Deanna Blacher with the assistance of Angel Quintela Honorary Consul for Spain in Perth, Western Australia to regulate the teaching of Spanish dance and to guarantee a uniform quality of tuition by all member Spanish dance schools. It is the prime Spanish dance accreditation body, and is fast expanding throughout the world, with the system being taught in Perth and Melbourne in Australia, Milano, Brescia, Tel Aviv and Singapore. Plans are currently underway to introduce the system to students in Los Angeles USA and Manilla in the Philippines.

A structured syllabus has been compiled by Deanna Blacher as a result of many years of international experience as a dancer, teacher, choreographer and educator, aiming at creating a smooth, logical and complete system of Spanish dance training that ensures steady progress along with high standards from all graduates. The principal difference in this system is that it teaches all styles of Spanish dance including Flamenco and all aspects of Spanish dance technique, history and theory. This comprehensive approach results in a more complete, competent and confident dancer and teacher.

The curriculum is spread over six junior levels - PREPARATORIO (beginners), PRIMER CURSO (first grade), SEGUNDO CURSO (second grade), TERCER CURSO (third grade), CUARTO CURSO (fourth grade), and QUINTO CURSO (fifth grade) - and three major levels - PRIMER CURSO DE ESTUDIANTE (elementary), SEGUNDO CURSO DE ESTUDIANTE (intermediate) and TERCER CURSO DE ESTUDIANTE (advanced) - and is taught following the natural progression of Spanish dance forms, from the easier to the more demanding.

The syllabus for each and every level is available on DVD, and an effort is currently being made to produce handbooks of the syllabus for every level. The handbooks for levels Preparatorio and Primer have been completed and are available. Only students of registered member schools may purchase both the videos and the handbooks, and may do so only for the level they are currently studying, or of previous levels.

To ensure that the teaching is of a consistent quality there are also three teaching qualifications, - PROFESOR DE BAILE Menor (to Grade 3), PROFESOR DE BAILE Mayor (to Grade 5) and MAESTRO DE BAILE to advanced level. The Institute holds formal examinations annually. These are conducted by qualified examiners appointed by the Institute. The Patron of the Institute is Mr. Juanjo Linares of Madrid.

CURRENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
  • Deanna Blacher - Founder and President
  • Nicole Levy - Vice President
  • Jo Donnellan - Treasurer / Secretary
  • Danielle Riccercato
  • Tracy Passamani
  • Rhonda Algaba
  • Derryn Gladwyn-Lee
CURRENT REGISTERED EXAMINERS
  • Deanna Blacher - Senior Examiner
  • Christine Perry - Senior Examiner
  • Roger Hicks - Examiner
  • Luisa Castejon - Examiner
  • Vivienne Stodel - Examiner
  • Rosita Santos - Examiner
  • Michelle Jarrott - Examiner
  • Nicole Levy - Examiner
  • Veronica Gilmer - Examiner
CURRENT REGISTERED IDE TEACHERS
  • Deanna Blacher - Foundation and Fellow Maestro de Baile - FMdeB
  • Rose Borromeo - Founding Member IDE Singapore
  • Vivienne Stodel - SDI Foundation Member - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Lynn Martlew - SDI Foundation Member - Maestro de Baile - MdeB
  • Sheryl-Lee Richards - Maestro de Baile - MdeB
  • Danielle Riccercato - Maestro de Baile - MdeB
  • Ashanti Suriyam - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Karen Henderson - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Julia Anwar-McHenry - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Janet Bastyan - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Natalie Warburton - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Michelle Jarrott - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Rosita Santos - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Sophie Pratt - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Jini Lim - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Sara Cox - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Michaela Perrozzi - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Angel Gomez - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Jan Zielinski-Thomas - Profesor de Baile Mayor - PdeBMy
  • Sandra Young - Profesor de Baile Menor - PdeBMn
  • Jane Perrozzi - Profesor de Baile Menor - PdeBMn
  • Jesseca Burt Profesor de Baile Menor - PdeBMn
  • Ruti Barnea - Israel
  • Guillermo Sevilla - Italy
For all enquiries regarding the Instituto de la Danza Espaņola (IDE), please contact Jo Donnellan on 0419 951 582 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it